1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for testing electrical continuity in electrical circuitry, and more specifically to a device for detecting proper grounding for all switches, receptacles, light fixtures, and appliances throughout the house or building before electrical power is applied to the house or building.
2. Description of the Related Art
Devices that test electrical continuity in electrical circuitry and that also check for proper grounding of electrical devices throughout the house or building often require that the electrical power be applied and turned on to the building or circuit under test. These devices, which sometimes include outlet plug adapters, require the circuit under test to be hot. Therefore, these devices cannot be used to verify the correct wiring of newly constructed houses or buildings by building inspectors or electricians before utility power is applied and turned on. Also, these devices cannot be used to test or diagnose faults due to wear and tear in old circuits when the fault is a short that prevents the circuit breaker or fuse from applying power to the circuit.
Other known devices can test electrical continuity in circuits that are not connected to a power source, but do not have a convenient means to plug into outlets while probing other circuit devices for proper wiring. Without such a convenient means, the inspector or electrician must use extra long jumper wires having alligator clips on each end, or a string of connected jumper wires having alligator clip ends in order to connect at least one probe of the continuity checker to a more remote device in the circuit. Also, alligator clip ends do not lend themselves to easy attachment to female contacts in outlets, or to grounded metal parts that do not have a shape which can be grabbed by the alligator clips.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,768, issued to Frazin on Jan. 16, 1973, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,677, issued to Garrett et al. on Nov. 27, 1973, each show a combined flashlight and continuity checker in one device. Although these devices have light bulb and battery elements and the alligator clips of a continuity checker, it does not have the convenience of a probe and a power cord with grounded plug.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,090, issued to Tomek on Aug. 14, 1973, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,207, issued to Shershen on Apr. 11, 1995, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,232,784, issued to Dulasky on May 15, 2001, also show a combined flashlight and continuity checker in one device. Although these devices have light bulb and battery elements and the short stubby probes of a continuity checker, they do not have the convenience of a probe and power cord with grounded plug.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,380, issued to Epstein on Aug. 9, 1977, shows a combined flashlight and continuity checker in one device. Although this device has light bulb and battery elements with the long probe and alligator clip end of a continuity checker, it does not have the convenience of a probe and power cord with grounded plug, as in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,826, issued to Graham on Aug. 15, 1989, is continuity circuit checker which requires a circuit to be hot in order to carry out the testing and uses neon light bulbs to carry out the tests.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,054,849, issued to Collier et al. on Apr. 25, 2000, is continuity circuit checker for checking the continuity of electrical cables and cords having plugs on the ends. Thus the Collier device has many outlets to facilitate the testing.
It would be desirable to provide a device that can test electrical continuity in building or house circuits when power is not applied to the wiring, and which provides quick, convenient and secure means to make the necessary connections and contacts between the electrical devices in the circuit. It would also be desirable to provide a device that can test electrical continuity in a building circuit that is not restricted by the distance between two testing points.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, an electrical continuity tester solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The present invention is an electrical continuity tester that solves the above problems by providing a handheld housing having batteries, switch, test bulb, a probe and a power cord having a three-prong plug, including a ground prong, on the end of the power cord. The handheld tester is used to first check that an unpowered grounded outlet is wired properly by closing the switch and observing the test bulb. The test bulb should come on if the grounded outlet is wired properly. After the outlet has been verified as wired properly, the probe can be used to touch any metal or conductive parts of any electrical device or appliance to verify that the metal part is properly grounded or properly wired to the hot side of the circuit, when the circuit is unpowered. Usually continuity tests require two connections of a continuity device to be made, but with the present invention the cord and plug provide one connection and the probe provides the other connection. Since the cord and plug are common and the outlets they plug into are available throughout the building or house, the range and reach of the handheld tester probe to the test points on the electrical devices are limitless.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an electrical continuity tester that has no restrictions on its ability to test continuity between any two points in a circuit in a building.
It is another object of the invention to provide an electrical continuity tester that may be used with one hand once plugged into a verified common outlet.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an electrical continuity tester that can check continuity or proper wiring of a variety of electrical devices in an unpowered building.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an electrical continuity tester that can check continuity or proper wiring or short in an unpowered building or circuit.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.